Pharmacist Sherry Torkos, co-author of Saving Women’s Hearts, told the TV show hosts on WJZ TV that some simple ways for women to improve their heart health include eating healthier foods and getting at least 7 hours of sleep. She added that MegaNatural-BP, a patented grape seed extract, has been shown by researchers at UC Davis to help lower blood pressure and improve blood vessel flexibility. To get the consistent benefit of grapes, take one MegaNatural-BP daily. It is potentially the only grape seed extract that has the unique ability to reduce blood pressure.

Lifestyle expert JJ Virgin stopped by the KCAL studios to discuss ways in which women can help their mean have a healthier lifestyle. Among her tips are eating nuts in moderation, adding a couple tablespoons of olive oil to his food daily, and to make sure he’s taking patented MegaNatural-BP daily because research has shown that it helps to lower blood pressure. It works by improving the flexibility of blood vessel walls, and is easier for your body to absorb than other grape seed extracts.

It has also been shown to be effective in lowering blood pressure and oxidized LDL in patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, excess body fat and elevated cholesterol levels.

If you love the freedom of wireless technology, and you monitor your blood pressure frequently, you might want to check out one of the many blood pressure monitors coming on the market that can capture your readings easily, quickly and accurately then send the data to monitoring devices, your home computer or to your doctor using phone lines, cell phones or the Internet thanks to Bluetooth technology. These devices can also store your readings, which is helpful if the device you’re using to transmit the report to your doctor is turned off or out of range, or if you want to print or email the data later on. There is even a blood pressure monitoring system, complete with cuff, for your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.

Wireless blood pressure monitors have actually been in use for a few years. Back in 2010, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine participated in a pilot program, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Aging. The program was prompted by earlier research which showed that these devices actually help people to better manage their blood pressure, in part because they can see a graphic chart of their readings over virtually any specified range at the press of a button.

Doctors on the receiving end of this information – which is generally considered more accurate than manual measurements – may transfer it directly into your record on the computer.

By next year, international consulting and marketing firm Global Partners Inc. has projected that 60 million people will benefit from using tools like remote patient monitoring devices to prolong and improve their health.

The sooner you start maintaining a healthy blood pressure, the more years you may be adding to your life. It’s especially important to maintain low blood pressure once you hit middle age.

One study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association found that those people who are able to keep their blood pressure at normal levels by age 55 enjoy the lowest lifetime risk for having a stroke or heart attack.

“There hasn’t been as much of a focus on keeping it low when people are in their 40s and 50s. That’s before a lot of people start focusing on cardiovascular disease risk factors. We’ve shown it’s vital to start early,” says lead author Norrina Allen, assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

In another report, published in the Dec. 21, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that people who treated their high blood pressure consistently for more than four years reduced their risk of dying from heart disease over a 20-year period.

“For the first time, we prove that treating high blood pressure prolongs life,” said lead researcher Dr. John Kostis, a professor of medicine & pharmacology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J.

“If you take your medications for a month, you live an extra day,” he said. “One day benefit from a month of treatment sounds small, but if you start treatment at 40, for example, then you live a couple of extra years.”

The important thing is to get your blood pressure under control and keep it that way. Scientific evidence shows that adding the unique MegaNatural-BP grape seed extract to your diet may improve your blood flow, decreasing blood pressure and reducing your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.

If your blood pressure reading tends to spike whenever you’re at the doctor’s office, you may be suffering from White Coat Syndrome. Simply put: your blood pressure rises abnormally high because you’re nervous about where you are. Some researchers estimate that as many as 20 percent of American adults experience this phenomenon at one time or another.

If your doctor doesn’t take White Coat Syndrome into consideration, it could result in an incorrect diagnosis and perhaps even unnecessary treatment. So if you suspect your blood pressure measures higher than normal while you’re in a doctor’s office, it is to your benefit to take action.

Here are four tips for overcoming the effects of White Coat Syndrome.

1. Monitor your blood pressure at home. Blood pressure readings taken in just one environment may be misleading. Have your doctor suggest which type of home blood pressure monitor you should use, and ask someone at your doctor’s office explain exactly how and when to use it. Keep a journal of those home readings, and bring it with you to your doctor’s appointment.

2. Ask your doctor what to expect before you arrive at your appointment. If you’re coming into the doctor for tests or a procedure, understanding what’s going to happen – and how it will benefit you – will help to reduce your anxiety. Don’t be shy about asking to speak with a nurse at the time you schedule the appointment.

3. Bring a friend or relative. Sharing the experience with someone supportive can make you feel less alone. Call ahead to ask if someone can stay with you throughout the procedure.

4. Find a doctor you like and trust. Your doctor is your health partner. If you don’t feel ill at ease with this person, ask for referrals from nearby friends or relatives.

What’s new? Some doctors are now using automated blood pressure devices. Their patients sit quietly in a room for five minutes, without the presence of a doctor or healthcare professional, while their blood pressure is read repeatedly. So far, the results are encouraging.

A sleep disorder called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be an underlying reason for high blood pressure in many older and middle-aged adults. Published studies conducted by Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, the Mayo Clinic and other institutions have confirmed that those who suffer from OSA are at increased risk for hypertension.

OSA is caused by airway blockage, usually when the soft tissue in the back of the throat closes during sleep. OSA is characterized by loud snoring and frequent stops in breathing throughout the night (sometimes hundreds of times a night). The brain causes the person to awaken slightly so that breathing resumes. The person probably won’t remember waking up during the night, but will likely feel very tired.

The condition is relatively common – affecting an estimated 15 million Americans – many of whom are overweight. Experts speculate that this may be the reason why overweight people are also at higher risk for hypertension. Sleep apnea can also lead to memory problems, weight gain, headaches and fatigue-related accidents.

OSA treatment also may lower your blood pressure

If you’ve been told that you snore, or you have other symptoms of sleep apnea such as excessive daytime sleepiness, it is wise to be evaluated by a physician who may recommend that you undergo a sleep study in a lab setting, where instruments can recognize and measure the severity of the problem.

Incredibly, an estimated 80-90 percent of people who have sleep apnea go undiagnosed. Most studies have determined that when OSA is treated, blood pressure levels decrease significantly.

OSA treatment options range from weight loss to surgery that improves air flow. Some people with mild cases of sleep apnea have success using nasal decongestants, while others sleep better using devices that they insert into their mouths before falling asleep. You might also try changing sleep positions, which may work for mild cases of OSA. It’s also advisable to avoid alcohol before bedtime, as that can worsen OSA severity.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine endorses the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, which involve wearing a mask fitted snugly over your nose and perhaps your mouth. CPAP machines provide a pressurized air flow that keeps the airway from collapsing. Studies show that people who use their CPAP machines regularly feel better and have fewer OSA complications.

Add lower blood pressure to the many health benefits attributed to breast feeding. Studies now show that babies and moms both may have healthier hearts. Children who were breastfed as infants may have lower blood pressure than those who are bottle fed, and that benefit may last well into adulthood researchers say. Moms who breastfeed may also be at lower risk for high blood pressure as well as other diseases.

Breastfeeding benefits for babies

Researchers in a 2004 study conducted in the United Kingdom and published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, found that babies who were breast fed had a slightly lower blood pressure than those babies who were exclusively fed baby formula. The longer the baby was breastfed, the greater the increase. Each three months of breastfeeding was, on general, associated with a 0.2 mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure.

The researchers speculated that the lower blood pressure might be attributed to the nutrients in breast milk, the fact that babies who are breast fed tend to consume less sodium, and that breastfed babies tend not to be overweight. The researchers further speculated that breastfeeding might protect against heart-related deaths in adulthood.

Breast feeding benefits for moms

A 2004 study published in the journal, Obstetrics & Gynecology, found that women who breastfeed are at lower risk for developing high blood pressure as well as other diseases once they hit menopause. Researchers found that post-menopausal women who had breast fed for a year or longer, over their entire lives, were about 10 percent less likely than those who had never breast fed, of having heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, high cholesterol or hypertension. Even breast feeding for just one month appeared to confer some of these benefits.

What if you already have hypertension?

If you plan to breastfeed your baby, check with your doctor and your child’s doctor because most prescription drugs for hypertension, while safe for you to take while breastfeeding, will get into your milk to some extent. Some may also impact your milk supply.

Other breastfeeding benefits

According to the Department of Health & Human Services Office on Women’s Health, breast feeding has a long list of health benefits including:

• It is rich in nutrients and antibodies

• Its nutrients adjust as the baby grows and his/her needs change

• It is easier to digest than formula

• Babies who are breastfed have lower risk of asthma, obesity and Type 2 diabetes as well as lower respiratory infections

• It saves money on formula and feeding supplies

• Breastfeeding moms miss less work because their children tend to be healthier

KMGH 7 News anchors welcome exercise physiologist and registered dietitian Dr. Felicia Stoler, who explains that grape seeds help lower blood pressure. And if eating grape seeds isn’t your thing, you can supplement your diet with MegaNatural BP.

Earlier this year, one of Britain’s largest hot tub retailers reported an uptick in spa sales after a study, conducted by the North American Sports Medicine Institute concluded that hot water therapy may lower blood pressure and improve circulation. While it is generally acknowledged that short, 10-minute stays in a hot tub or hot bath can temporarily lower blood pressure, you should proceed with caution.

The American Heart Association warns that people who are experiencing a hypertensive crisis (a quick and severe rise in blood pressure) should not attempt to lower their blood pressure by using a sauna or spa. Also, never go back and forth between cold water and hot tubs/saunas. This could have the opposite effect of increasing your blood pressure. And if your doctor has advised you to avoid moderate exercise, ask him or her if using hot tubs or saunas is safe for you.

Hot baths, spas and saunas help to decrease blood pressure by opening/relaxing the walls of blood vessels, a process known as vasodilation. A safe and more consistent approach to achieving a healthier blood pressure is by using MegaNatural-BP grapeseed extract, which supports healthy blood vessel relaxation.

But if you should decide to use a spa or sauna, or to take a hot bath, just remember that the heat and alcohol are not a good combination. Be sure never to mix the two!

Holistic Pharmacist Sherry Torkos appears on WOFL Fox 35 to reveal which foods to eat this season that won’t take a toll on your heart. She particularly recommends grapes as appetizers, wine in moderation, and supplementing your meals with MegaNatural BP. Hear what she has to say about what researchers at UC Davis learned about this supplement.